). This program is only one of many designed to aid in the training of individuals with autism.Another project that has received much attention is the program for the Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH). This program was first conducted by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina in 1971. And in 1972 became the state organization mandated to serve children with autism and their families. In 1979 the mandate was extended to include adolescence and adults as well. The goal of the program is to combine the expertise of both the professional and the parent to develop the child’s vocational, social, and living skills through the use of visual prompts or cues in the environment (Gresham et al., 1999).The TEACCH model believes that behavioral difficulties are due to the individual’s inability to understand and successfully cope with their environment; therefore, there is a focus on making alterations in the environment to accommodate the child’s deficits in addition to developing new skills. An example of this is the way TEACCH takes advantage of students’ strengths in visual processing by using schedules, work charts, and overall organization to accommodate for the auditory deficits in many children with autism. Although children with autism may have many similar deficits, every child is different; thus, individualized assessment strategies, both formal and informal, are utilized as a basis for treatment. In determining the particular strategies for each individual, cognitive and behavioral therapies are the preferred forms of treatment (Van Bourgondien & Schopler, 1996).Overall, studies of the efficacy of the TEACCH program have shown positive results, however, as in the YAP studies, methodological issues were a concern. One study by Schopler et al. done in 1982 reported that of individuals with autism who underwent treatment thro...
